Sunny Winter Weekend on the Oregon Coast

Our first adventure of 2022 was a slightly spontaneous adventure to the beach house at Seal Rock. When we discovered we could abandon the January rain and chill in the valley for an unseasonably sunny and warm winter weekend on the Oregon coast, we couldn’t pass it up!

Plans For No Plans

Our initial plan was to have no plans. I wanted to relax and stare out the window at the ocean all weekend. I brought my crochet project to work on and that was enough to do. By the time we had finished our first cup of coffee on the first morning, we had discussed  a plan or two. By the time I had finished my second cup, Norman was already getting ready to go.

Luna Sea

It had been awhile since we’d been to Seal Rock, and we were delighted to see the old Yuzen building no longer vacant, and the new home of Luna Sea Fish House. We decided giving it a try was a must. They had a good sized menu, making it difficult to choose what to order! Norman had fish and chips and I had their delicious crab cakes. We were not disappointed.

Friends in Depoe Bay

Our friends Doug and Rachel Cramer were also on the coast for the weekend, so we decided to meet up in Depoe Bay for dinner. Depoe Bay, Oregon is a small coastal town with only around 1,500 residents. The main street is the coastal Highway 101, and there are about 3 blocks of colorful shops and eateries. The town is named for it’s 6-acre harbor that is recognized as the world’s smallest natural bay. Norman and I have previously driven through Depoe Bay a few times but have never stopped.

Sightseeing Stroll

We planned to meet the Cramers at 6:00 for dinner, so we arrived early to do some shopping. Once we had decided that we weren’t doing “nothing” all weekend, I had my heart set on a little kite flying on the beach. I didn’t bring my cute grocery store kite from our last eastern Oregon adventure so buying a nice kite at one of the many coastal kite shops was on the agenda. Unfortunately, the kite shop in Depoe Bay was closed. We made it into a cute pet boutique and to a candy shop for some taffy and caramel corn before all the shops were closed.  Even though the weather was gorgeous, we were visiting in January, so I shouldn’t have been surprised that the shops closed early. This gave us some time to take a sightseeing stroll and get some photos of the world’s smallest bay.

Go Fly A Kite

The next morning I was determined to get a new kite. As we drank our coffee and prepared for the day, we got a text from Aaron and Kim saying they were in Newport. They are beginning to make a habit of surprising us on our travels! We decided to meet up with them at Newport Brewing Co. to kick off the day’s adventure. As it turned out, Kim had kite flying on her mind as well.

After some tasty brews, we wandered down to the bay front for shopping and pub crawling. I discovered the kite store I had always remembered being on the bay front was now gone! At least I got to say hello to the harbor seals and get some decadent fudge. We ended up heading to The Kite Company and purchased a sweet green dragon kite, then it was off to Nye Beach for some kite flying and a visit to Nana’s Irish Pub.

Nye Beach

I love Nye Beach in Newport. There is a wonderful collection of shops and eateries. Every time we have visited Nye Beach it has been very windy. Every time. Perfect for kite flying. This one time was the exception. Once we made it down to the beach I made a few attempts at running with my green dragon to get it up in the air, then realized that was not going to work. My dreams of leading a green dragon across the sky never really got off the ground.

The Chowder Bowl

We usually plan to eat at Nana’s Irish Pub when we’re in the area, but this time we decided to eat at The Chowder Bowl. This was our first time eating there and we enjoyed it very much. The food was great and the service was fast and friendly. Once we had satisfied our bellies, it was time to say our goodbyes and head home. We’ll be back to fly our kites another time. Until then, happy glamping!